“No matter how fast moonlight runs, daylight catches up.”

— zanzibar proverb

“With the exception of the thin line of sand, over which the sap-green water rolled itself with a constant murmur and moan, the island seemed buried under one deep stratum of verdure.

“The noble bosom of the strait bore several dhows speeding in and out of the bay of Zanzibar with bellying sails. Towards the south, above the sea line of the horizon, there appeared the naked masts of several large ships, and to the east of these a dense mass of white, flat-topped houses.

“This was Zanzibar, the capital of the island; which soon resolved itself into a pretty large and compact city, with all the characteristics of Arab architecture.”